Primer Sequence Disclosure: A Clarification of the MIQE Guidelines

To the Editor:The publication of the minimum information for the publication of real-time quantitative PCR experiments (MIQE)1 guidelines (1) has turned out to be a defining event in the maturing of quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR) technology. The response from instrument and reagent manufacturers has been universally positive. There has been extensive publicity in print, online, and at scientific meetings, and scientific journals are beginning to take note (2). Citations of the MIQE paper are accelerating, with 63 of the 169 citations (as of the end of January 2011) having appeared since September 2010. There is an enormous amount of good will toward this initiative, with many researchers keen to implement the different parameters within their own experimental protocols.MIQE was never conceived with the intent of imposing an immutable edict, as in the spirit of a regulatory agency. The aim was to provide commonsense guidelines for enhancing the reproducibility and transparency of qPCR assays. MIQE, however, has become a marketing and selling argument (“MIQE compliance”), and this practice places a responsibility on the authors of the guidelines to assess whether the rapidly evolving technology demands refinement of the guidelines to acknowledge researchers' uncertainty.Most discussion has concerned the stipulation of primer sequence disclosure. Many commercial qPCR assays are not supplied with the primer/probe sequences because most vendors consider such information commercially sensitive. In addition, there usually …